My interest in the Qianlong Emperor began more than forty years ago. When I was in my twenties, I read Jonathan Spence’s volume Kang-hsi-Self Portrait of the Kang-hsi Emperor and it captured my imagination. Legend says that one day Hongli as a young prince was hunting with his grandfather. A tiger appeared and attacked the hunting party. Hongli stood his ground bravely and showed no fear. The Kangxi Emperor was impressed and told the Yongzhong Emperor that this young prince should be his heir.
As my at dealing career began, I was fortunate to handle a number of Imperial objects from the Qianlong Emperor’s collection that bore his poetry. His words revealed something of his character and philosophy of life. Eventually my research bore fruit and I wrote and published “In the Emperor’s Own Words”. The article is based on inscribed jades listed in the Imperial Archive which passed through my hands.
This October 6, 2018 I will host a seminar devoted to examining jades from the Imperial collection which I have previously handled. Since this is a favorite area of interest for me, this will be a fun event. We will meet at ten am and break for a lunch in the Fairmont Hotel’s Laurel Court restaurant at around noontime. After lunch, we will return to our meeting room to finish the lecture. I have selected some great photography of Imperial Jade from the archive of S. Bernstein & Co. to share with the 10 lucky participants selected to attend. If you are interested, sign up now before it is sold out.